Grand mufti laments: Saudis kill each other in wars abroad

Young Saudis who leave to fight in conflict zones end up killing each other thanks to the deviance and civil strife their groups propagate, said the Kingdom’s Grand Mufti, Abdul Aziz Al-Alsheikh.

“These men are taken to market places and sold to these groups like slaves,” he said.

Al-Asheikh’s comments come in the wake of several young Saudis below 30 joining such groups in Syria and Iraq after expressing outrage at the state of the Muslim world.

“We are all upset about the plight of Muslims around the world, but this should never lead us to joining the wrong forces,” he said.

Al-Asheikh called on scholars, preachers and judges to help in spreading this message and deter followers from falling prey to these groups.

“Scholars have a pivotal responsibility in guiding young men,” he said.

“Such ill-informed decisions will only serve to destroy Muslim nations. Believers should never incite revolt or spread rumors aimed at creating unrest.”

Al-Asheikh had earlier asserted that propagators of terror in the name of Islam could not be further from the religion’s essence.

“Islam is a religion of peace and charity and those who prove otherwise are distorting our image. Killing others in the name of groups who sanction the shedding of Muslim blood has nothing to do with Islam,” he said.